Gems may be precious
by Charm Of Dreams
Summary: But friends are priceless. A fanfic about the trials and turbulations of two best friends that make the journey to be the best that they can be. R&R, please. Mostly Gameverse. Rating so far is for safety.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Pokemon doesn't belong to me, and never will. This is because if it did, mom would assassinate Ash and all pokemon would bow down to my superior power and skills, and ash would lose every last one of his battles over and over again. :D

Authors note: There's not really a mention of pokemon yet, save for one part, mostly. This is also hopefully going to be a story I'll work on for the long run.

Prologue: Sun and Moon

* * *

_We may be different as night and day,_

_The sun and the moon survive with each other's help;_

_But we have to be best friends forever, ok?_

_The sun radiates happiness and fun as it shines,_

_If it smiles, it can brighten even the darkest night, although_

_We may be different as night and day._

_The moon glows softly as it's stars guide lost ones down their path,_

_While doing so it guards the rambunctious sun from danger as they work together_

_But we have to be best friends forever, ok?_

_The moon fades out as the sun comes in and they share a greeting,_

_As they work off one another, we see one similar thing, a connection, even if_

_We may be as different as night and day._

_Rarely they see one another because one comes up as the other goes down,_

_Their bond is still as strong as ever, however, because they know the other cares_

_But we have to be best friends forever, ok?_

_The moon can't rise without the sun and the sun without the moon,_

_One shines through the clouds like a smile on the first day of school, the other through the fog like a ray of hope;_

_We may be as different as night and day._

_But we have to be best friends forever, ok?_

* * *

Madison was, without a doubt, one of the most soft spoken children known to mankind. She had no real friends, but since she never spoke, she gained the ability to be very perceptive and empathetic. She had wide, blue eyes, and her hair was black. One of the parent assistants in her class had fittingly commented on her general appearance and behavior being similar to that of "A calm lake during the night. It's very serene, but there's more to the view than what meets eye."

Dustin, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. If Madison was a calm, night, then he was the cheerful morning. Always friendly and able to speak his mind, this boy was never seen with a frown on his face. As a contrast to Madison's calm blue eyes, his eyes were a warm, cheerful brown, which went with his equally brown hair, which was held out of his face by a blue bandanna that was tied around hisforehead.

This is a story about how two very different people meet, and form an unbreakable bond.

**Littleroot Town-2002**

He wasn't sure what had driven him to do that, it wasn't his place. It had been a regular day in the park; and he, being a regular child, was enjoying the sunshine by playing with his friends. That's how it had started, a regular day.

He had seen her around town before, often being pushed around by the older kids. So what if she never spoke to anyone, she was still a human!

The girl in question was huddled up under a tree, curled up on herself, silently shaking with suppressed sobs that had resulted from the most recent verbal beating she had received; compliments of the usual group of older kids, he assumed.

He walked over to her and plopped down in front of her. It took him a moment to think of what to say and what came out wasn't exactly the smoothest choice of words, but he was seven years old, so it was ok.

"Everyone always picks on you because you don't talk...Why don't you do anything?" He stated bluntly. Her head shot up and she hiccuped meekly. To further drive his point home, he was steadily, but firmly prodding her in the forehead.

His words brought her no comfort, obviously, since she began sobbing louder. He blinked for a moment and looked her over. She looked worse for wear. Her purple sundress was covered with dirt, and had been torn in some places. Small scratched adorned her legs, along with a rather nasty looking gash on her knee, which seemed to be the worst of it.

Not used to seeing a girl beat up so badly, he prodded the bleeding wound in question. And then prodded it again. And again. And again...

"...?!" she sniffled and tried shyly tried to push away his probing fingers while hissing in pain.

He stopped his inspection of the knee that she was trying to quietly nurse and pointed at it. "Did the big kids do that to you? "

She nodded and looked down at the floor, trying to hide her tears from this friendly boy. She had seen him at the local elementary school, and remembered him being in the class above her. _"why? Why is he being so nice to me?"_

He'd never been this close to her before, he had always only watched her from a distance. She cried a lot, but always tried to hide it from the other kids, knowing that they would only tease her more, but being up close like this….it seemed to effect him more. He wanted her to stop crying.

A sharp, surprised gasp was all he got when he led her over to the fountain and sat her down on the curb. He then got some water from thespigot and began trying to clean her hurt knee.

Seeing the hands make their way to the bodily joint in question, she began to try pushing away his hands more fervently, thinking that what he was doing was an attempt at harming her more.

He realized that by attempting to help her fix her knee, she probably thought that he was going to hurt her more, so he un-tied his trusty blue bandanna from it's usual position on his head and secured it around her knee to make sure the wound wasn't going to get infected.

She looked like she was going to turn down his offer, so he cut the girl off before she could say anything about the random act of kindness.

"You need it more than I do, so keep it, ok?" he winked.

She nodded slowly in response.

"My name is Dustin Brady, but everyone calls me Dusty, what's yours?"

A beat.

She looked at him nervously. He had brown eyes, but his were friendly, unlike the eyes of the other kids who seemed to enjoy her terror. He smiled warmly at her before helping her up. _"Maybe...Maybe he is different from the others."_

"I guess you really don't talk much, but that's ok! My mommy says that I talk enough for two people! The person that gave me that blue bandanna is the bestest person in the whole world, his name is Brendan, he's the Pro..professui...He's the smart guy's Son, and he's the most awesome person ever!"

At the mention of Brendan and the professor, the girls eyes widened, obviously making some connection in her mind to something. _"Oh no! I forgot about him!"_ She rushed over to the fountain and searched the water for something before sighing in relief, the poor thing hadn't accidentally drowned itself.

Dusty had never seen someone move as fast as the girl had, and followed her to the fountain, curious as to what had gotten her so worried. His grin quickly returned at the sight of the water pokemon that were happily frolicking in the said area.

"Isn't it neat? The mayor had the fountain built so that even the water pokemon had a place to play! I don't really like water types though, my favourite type is FIRE!" He threw his arms into the air for emphasis.before looking back at the fountain. "Is that magikarp drowning?"

She giggled at his enthusiasm and optimistic personality before realizing one important message he had been trying to relay. And the realization hit her like a truck. _"...I-is he trying to be my friend?"_

She looked at his face and saw that unlike the other kids, he was honestly extending a hand of friendship to her. It wasn't pity, it wasn't a lie, he just wanted to be a friend.

What she did next shocked even her.

"M-my name is Madison...M-Madison Pierce..And that's my magikarp, splashy..." She pointed shyly at the poor fish that was floundering uselessly in the fountain.

a beat.

a silence.

some random Tailow was consumed by a Seviper in some random location.

Dusty's eyes widened, he didn't actually think that it would be him that would get her to talk! He smiled widely and in the heat of the moment, hugged her tightly. The two of them stayed like that for a while before he noticed something else; the Magikarp was hers?!?

"WOW! You have a pokemon? We don't get pokemon until we turn 10! How did you manage to get one?!" His excitement scared the poor girl, causing her turn scarlet and stumble back a little before hurriedly stuttering her reply,

"M-my D-daddy got it f-for me...H-he brought it back f-from a trip..."

This boy was overwhelming! He had gone from helping her to yelling in excitement to hugging her! She recalled all the event of the day in detail before deciding that it was very different from her regular day, but it was..._"Nice,"_ she decided. _"Nice is the goodest word to describe this."_

The two stared at each other, obviously unsure about how they were to proceed from their first actual verbal exchange.

Another beat.

A longer silence.

A woman's voice floated over the park. "Dustin, it's time for dinner!!"

That voice was then joined by another. "Madison, dinnertime!"

The boy looked up. The girl looked up, then blushed an turned around, returning the rather useless fish to it's ball and then shyly looked back at the boy.

Dustin smiled widely, realizing that he had indeed made a new friend. "I gotta go to dinner now, Mad-mad, but I'll see you at school tomorrow!"

"Mad-mad?...I already have a nickname?" Madison smiled shyly before nodding. "...OK, D-Dusty!"

The two children parted ways, a promise was made.

This promise led to a friendship that would never be broken, come hell or high water.

End Prologue


	2. Childhood

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon, because if I did, Ash would lose each and every time he should have lost. :D

Authors note: I'm not particularly picky about how many reviews I get. This is a story I'm writing for pure enjoyment. I do have to say, though, reviews are like icing on the cake for me. :D so they are appreciated, but I will update reguardless of how many I get.

This chapter focuses on the growing friendship of Madison and Dustin. Mentions of their pokemon teams are made, but you'll have to continue reading to see how the two kids progress.

Childhood memories

* * *

**  
**

**Madison- age 6, Dustin- age 7**

_"In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures."_

Ever since their first meeting in the park, it had become a custom for the two children to meet there every day after school. The girl would always get there first, and sit on the bench. She would wait for maybe, ten minutes, before she would perk up and look to the left, where she would be greeted by the figure of the boy.

Their first summer as best friends was rather normal, as far as summers went. They would meet up, he would ask a question, **_"Why is your Magikarp purple?" _**and she would reply as best as she can, **_"...Because it is?" _** He would laugh loudly, and then they would go and play.

One day, however, seemed to be a bit different from the rest. They met at the bench, he asked his question, **_"Do you think Brendan will visit sometime soon?" _**She would answer, **_"...Maybe, if the professor isn't b-busy.."_** Dustin laughed, and then they had gone to play.

They were in the sandbox enjoying themselves when they heard it.

As most parents and adults of Littleroot knew, once being small children too, the tell-tale sound of small, tinkling bells could only signify one thing...

"ICE CREAM!" A huge grin made itself across Dustin's face. He turned to Madison, "Let's go get some!"

Before she could reply, he had taken hold of both her arms and pulled the girl up from her kneeling position. The small plastic shovel fell to the ground as he tugged her over to the friendly vendor.

Two sets of eyes widened at the sight of the various typed of frozen treats. There were ice-creams shaped like various pokemon! Treeko, Torchic, Mudkip, Magikarp, Tailow, Jigglypuff, Pikachu, if you named it, he probably had it.

"One Treeko, and One Torchic, please!" Dustin handed the vendor two pokedollars and recieved the two popsicles. He handed the Treeko to Madison, and kept the Torchic for himself.

The two children, now with their frosty treats, made their way to their favourite bench so that they could relax and enjoy their pokemon shaped popsicles. Neither of them expected what would happen next.

The group of older children had heard about Madison and Dustin's friendship, but the wouldn't believe it. Who honestly would want to be friends with the silent little freak? The three that viewed the exchange and act of kindness decided to act. The first kid, who also seemed to be the oldest, took a frisbee and threw it as hard as he could obviously intending it to go over the head of the two younger children.

When the flying disk had gone maybe, a yard or so, the second child sprung into action and ran after it. He knew that he wouldn't be able to catch it, but that wasn't the idea in the first place. As he chased the disk, he "accidentally" ran into the small girl, sending her and her popsicle to the ground.

"Oops! I'm SO sorry, I was running to get that frisbee and I didn't see you there! Why didn't you SAY something?" The small child was obviously doing her best not to burst into tears as she stood up, seeing her now ruined popsicle a couple feet away.

She knew that the older kid had run into her on purpose. Why wouldn't they leave her alone? _"What did I ever do to them?" _A sniffle escaped her.

At the sound of the sniffle, Dustin turned around and saw his friend trying her best not to cry as she stared at her ruined popsicle. He growled as the older child pushed Madison down to the ground and laughed at the girl.

Thankfully, the exchange didn't last long, and intrest was lost. The older child and his friend left, leaving Madison on the ground, trying to hide her tears, and a seeting Dustin.

As soon as he was sure they were gone, he rushed over to her side careful not to drop his popsicle as he knelt down beside her.

"You ok?" He asked. He knew that she probably wasn't, but his mother had always told him it was better to ask if someone needed help before jumping in and helping.

She shook her head and sniffled again.

Dusin sighed and helped his friend up. He knew that she didn't want to start any trouble, but he couldn't help but feel frustrated.

"Your popsicle might be dead, but mine isn't. Let's share, ok?" She lifted her tear filled eyes and looked at him dubiously. There was that stupid grin again, and she could already feel herself give a small smile in return.

"Ok." She dusted herself off. He laughed.

When their parents arrived at the park, Dustin's mother couldn't help but get a picture of the 6 year old and 7 year old that were sharing a popsicle, and both were smiling widely.

* * *

**Madison- age 8, Dustin- age 9**

"_There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in."_

"Mad-mad, hurry up! You're so slow!" Dustin let a laugh loose as he waited next to the door of Professor Birch's lab. Madison frowned at the boy as she hurried after him, she couldn't help it if she was slow! He was a boy, and older than her!

The busy professor had asked the two of them to come and help him take care of some of the starter pokemon that would be handed out. This was an oppertunity neither of them wanted to miss.

When Madison finally stood next to him, Dustin grinned sheepishly as the younger girl glared up at him. "I forgot I was faster, sorry! Sorry! I'm really exited, though, we get to see the pokemon today!"

Knowing that there was a small chance of her answering verbally, when he saw her nod in agreement, he laughed again and knocked on the laboratory door. not getting any answer the first time, he knocked once more, and the knocked again, and again, and again...

Madison's hand shot out and took hold of Dustin's hand before he could knock a fourteenth time, and then pointed at a note that was posted on the door.

_Madison and Dustin,_

_When you get here, just go around to the back part of the lab, that's where you'll find me and the starters. I'm sure you're wonderding what it is I want you to do, but you'll have to wait to find out. As an exchange for your help, I'll be giving you two gifts in return._

_-Prof. Birch_

Dusty looked at the note, and then looked at his friend.

"...Why didn't you point that out to me before?"

"...Thought you knew."

He glared at the girl before taking her hand in his and leading her to the back part of the lab. He unlatched the garden gate and they both went thought, making sure to close and re-latch it before continuing into the backyard.

The two elementary schoolers were greeted with the sight of Professor Birch buried under a Torchic, Mudkip, and Treeko. At the sound of footsteps, the man looked up.

"Ah, Dusty and Maddie, just the two people I needed. Now that you two are here, I can explain." He carefully removed himself from the pile of pokemon and led the two children over.

"I need these three to get used to other people. Since they're going to belong to new trainers, I need you two to spend time with them in order to get them accustomed to humans." He gestured to the three pokemon. "Pick one and be friendly to it, when we're done, I'll give you a present that will make this all worth while."

Dustin was the first to move. He slowly made his way to the Torchic, and extended his hand to it. The small bird examined it for a moment, and deeming the boy safe, closed the distance between the two by tackling it and making itself comfortable on the 8-year old's chest.

Much to the amazement of the Professor, and the shock of Madison, the Treeko approached her and promptly led her away to one of the flowerbeds located in the back yard.

Birch and Mudkip exchanged a look. _"Alright then..."_

:::a Couple Hours later:::

The professor had returned the starter pokemon to their respective pokeballs and led the two children into his lab. He had them wait at the front door and went into the storage room in order to retrieve their awards for helping him.

When he emerged, he was carrying two pokemon eggs with him.

"As a token of my gratitude for helping me with the starter pokemon, I would like you both to have one of these," he handed one of the eggs to each child, "Dustin, your egg will hatch into a Torchic. I know about your love for fire pokemon, and I know that when it does hatch, you'll be a great trainer."

Dustin nodded and held the egg close to his body. He could almost feel the inner fire through the thick shell, it was as if it was entering his very soul.

"And you, Madison," He turned to the younger girl, "although you rarely speak, your kind and generous nature makes you the ideal trainer for grass type pokemon, so your egg will eventually hatch into a Treeko. You are a kind and serene young lady, so I know I can trust you as well."

Madison blushed at the praise that was given to her, but she held the egg gingerly, ensuring it's safety.

The two children both thanked the man before leaving the lab, and started off for home.

Professor Birch watched the retreating backs of the young children before letting a grin spread across his face as he leaned against the doorframe.

"I know you two will do great things, make me proud."

* * *

**Madion- age 13, Dustin- age 14**

_"The language of friendship is not words but meanings."_

It was an odd friendship they had, most people would say. One of them would talk all the time, and the other rarely spoke at all. It was not unusual at all to see the two children sitting together at the park, or anywhere, with the boy holding a seemingly one sided conversation. The only way you could tell that there was indeed some type of communication going on between the two, was how he would reply to things that were not verbally said, and by the expressions that would communicate emotions from the small girl.

The day the boy had to leave, was a good example of this.

The day before leaving, he had returned his newly hatched torchic to the provided pokeball, and packed all the belongings he needed for the trip. Tent, sleeping bag, pokedex, pokeballs, potions, and all the usual essentials

He had risen early, hoping to leave without her knowing, worried that she would hate him for leaving her behind, but somehow, she did know, and had stood next to the only exit in town, waiting for him.

The sun had barely began to peek over the horizon, and there she was, still in her pyjamas, with every intention of seeing her best friend off, if he liked it or not. When he arrived at the exit, he was taken aback when he saw that she was already there.

"So you are leaving..."

Dustin winced. He should have known that she would find out somehow.

Her blue eyes were sad, and Dustin felt a twinge of sorrow.

Madison took one step torwards him, and looked down at the ground. _"Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"_

He closed the distance between them and embraced her. "_Because I knew you would get all worried and start crying."_

Her small frame shook with silent tears as she hung onto him. A hushed, one sided conversation would be all that any regular person, if there was someone else awake, would be able to hear.

He gave his best friend one final squeeze and slowly let her go. _"You know that I have to go, it's my dream."_

"Be careful." She mumbled, looking him in the eyes. _"If you and get yourself hurt, I'm going to find you and make you regret making me worry."_

He took a couple steps, so that she was now behind him, "You know me better than that!" He laughed, even though on the inside, he broke a little more, knowing he was leaving behind the best friend he ever made. _"I know that you'll make me pay if I get hurt, so I'll just make sure that you don't worry."_

Eyes bright, Dustin raised a hand in a wave farewell and took his first step into route 101. He couldn't see it, but she waved back, eyes equally bright.

_"I'll find you as fast as I can when I leave town next year."_

_"I wouldn't have it any other way."_

* * *

**Madison- age 14, Dustin- age 15**

_"Those truly linked don't need correspondence. When they meet again after many years apart, Their friendship is as true as ever."_

The day Dustin left the town of Littleroot, Madison knew.

The day Madison left Littleroot, Dustin knew, but was unable to see her off, because he was already gone.

She trudged down the path that would lead her to Oldale town, knowing that it was a straight shot from Littleroot. During the hour long walk, she had caught a Zigzagoon, and a Poochyena to go with her Magikarp, splashy, and her Treeko.

When she made it to town, she spent some time resting before carrying on to Petalburg City.

Madison had engaged in some battles along the way, and they were difficult. She won, though, and continued on, adding Ralts to her team before she arrived in the city.

She was thrown for a loop though, when as she entered the pokemon center, Nurse Joy gave her a slip of paper and a small parcel.

"A very polite young boy told me to give these to you when you arrived. You have a very good friend."

She didn't know what to say, so she payed for a room, and sat down on one of the couches in the lobby.

Deciding to open the parcel first, she undid the blue ribbon that held it together and peered inside, before reaching into the box and pulling out a pokenav.

Realizing that the slip of paper was probably the note that went with the parcel, she scanned it quickly before turning a shade of red that would make a torchic proud.

Meanwhile, in a remote location, A fifteen year old boy training with his Breloom cracked a smile and chuckled as his pokenav began ringing.

* * *

**Madison- age 15, Dustin- age 16**

_"No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth."_

To say that he and his pokemon were exhausted would be an understatement. After a long day of battled and travel, Dustin was ready to die on his feet. The poor guy had been challanged left and right ever since he left Mauville for Fallarbor, and all he wanted now, was to find a pokecenter, and die on their couch.

Torchic had evolved to Combusken in his final battle, but that was only after Electrike was knocked out.

A frustrated sigh escaped the teenager's mouth, it was his birthday, too! This was not what he had in mind when he had woken up that morning. Where was the cheerful phonecall from his mother? What happened to the birthday cash? Or better yet, why hadn't Madison called him yet?!

He was accustomed to having his best friend by his side during his birthday, and still wasn't used to her abscence while he was on the road. Dustin knew that she was probably busy with her own adventure, but he still couldn't shake the small bit of dissappointment that had welled up in the pit of his stomach.

He sighed in relief when he spotted the sign that welcomed travlers into Fallarbor, he had made it!

The little gasp that greeted him when he entered the Pokemon center though, confused him.

"Are you Dustin Brady?" He nodded, and Nurse Joy sighed in relief, "Oh, good. We recieved a package for you earlier today." She reached under the counter and produced a small package, and then handed it to the perturbed boy.

"Th-thank you." he stuttered. Still a bit mystefied, he sat down on one of the couches and opened the package. Inside was a photo and a Jewlery box, however, there was no note.

He smiled widely as he looked at the picture, and then turned his attention to the other item, the velvet case. It was long, so it had to be a necklace of some sort.

Curious, Dustin opened the case, and was met with a locket. It wasn't a cheesy, heart shaped one or anything, it was made with black metal, and had the word "friend" engraved onto the front in white. He grinned like an idiot as he opened it and then laughed quietly to himself.

Meanwhile, in Slateport, a Kirlia stared quizically at its trainer when she had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and giggled as soon as her Pokenav started ringing.


	3. Reunion

Disclaimer: Pokemon isn't mine, and never will be!

Authors Note: Many thanks to Jess Readin for helping me figure out how it is my story will progress!

Look forward to the other side of the story, which should be put up soon!

Reunion

* * *

"Alright Combusken, finish it off with Double kick!" The pokemon nodded and delivered two powerful kicks to the opponent, not letting it have an time to recover from the previous onslaught of attacks. It was knocked out. 

"Aw man! You did great Linoone, now return!" A red glow surrounded the KO'd pokemon and it was returned to the confines of it's pokeball. The breeder returned the ball to his belt before shrugging at his opponent. The kid looked to be no older than 16, but as he returned his combusken to it's ball, the opponent knew that this boy would be doing great things.

"I'm all out. That was a great battle, though, you completely wiped the floor with me." He made his way torwards the victor and they clapsed hands, giving one another a firm handshake.

" I guess since you beat me, the least I can do is give you my name. Call me Cory, If you ever want a re-match, I'm here all year, every year." He gave a grin to the boy who defeated him.

"The name's Dustin, I'll keep that in mind. You almost had me there!" Their hands unclasped and they nodded one last time to another before parting ways.

* * *

**Slateport City-2012**

There is a lighthouse near the south of Slateport that illuminates the sea for passing ships. The Slateport Market is an open-air bazaar featuring items that can't be easily found anywhere else. There's a place to buy Secret Base decorations, vitamins and seaweed there.

Slateport is also home to the headquarters for the Hoenn branch of the Pokémon Fan Club.

North of Slateport City is Route 110, which has a bicycle route as well as a path to Mauville City. South of the city is the beach of Route 109. East of the city is the ocean path of Route 134, but the water's current is too strong to Surf east.

Slateport was created because the clean water made the food abundant in the area, so a market started to grow. But this isn't a focus on the history of this bustling town, but a focus on a certain individual that was currently resting there...

Dustin wasn't too sure why he had chosen to rest in this little utopia. He could have been training, or better yet, gather information on the future gym leaders he was planning on battling. Instead of doing either of these things, we find our hero sprawled out on one of the pokemon center couches, obviously bored out of his skull.

Today, he noted, was April 12th, his birthday. He was now 17 years old, Yay. Usually, this would be a day that he would happily take advantage of, but there was one key item, or person, missing.

_"I wonder where Mad-mad is now..." _His best friend, Madison, had started her pokemon journey a year later than him, but they had both started out later then most trainers did. He had started on his fourteenth birthday, in 2009, as had she, but in 2010.

Last year, on his birthday, he was pleasantly surprised when the Nurse Joy of Fallarbor gave him a package from his best friend. When he opened it, he found a locket with the word "Friend" engraved on the front, with a picture of Madison and himself inside, ages 7 and 8, playing together in the Littleroot park.

As an exchange, when her birthday arrived in October, he sent her a locket as well. The difference was that instead of the word friend, it had "treasured" engraved on the front, and the picture was of the two of them, ages 6 and 7, sharing an icecream after she had dropped hers on the floor.

It had been three years since he started his journey, but that had not deterred their friendship, and instead made it stronger. Phonecalls were regularly made between the two friends, and he still had the exclusive privelage of being able to get more than 2 sentances from her mouth at a time.

He lazed away on the couch for a bit longer before he decided that instead of waiting for his usual birthday call, he would take a day to wander the City that he was currently residing in.

* * *

Madison sighed as she rested her head on the crest of Splashy's crest. The past couple days had been exhausting. Over the past two years of her becoming a trainer, she had seen and done a variety of things making her the trainer she was today. Her beloved childhood pokemon, Splashy, had evolved into a Gyarados, much to her amazement and joy, and she had defeated many trainers and gyms.

She was well aware of the date, but due to an unplanned series of events, mostly involving Team Aqua and Magma, she had forgotten to charge her pokenav; and thus, was unable to contact Dustin in order to wish him a happy birthday.

Three loud splashes from behind alerted her of the unwanted attention that she was trying to get away from. Those grunts were pretty persistant when they wanted to be.

"Splashy, we have to get to Slateport, you're the only one that can get us there.." Madison wasn't sure her companion had heard her plea. The past couple of days had been spent trying to get away from Team Aqua, and thus, she hadn't been able to get the sleep that was needed in order to function through the day. Thankfully, the huge dragon pokemon must have heard her, because their speed increased and they were now hurdling torwards the Slateport beach at an alarming rate.

Madison, however, wouldn't know how these events would play out, because the moments she and Splashy hit the beach, she was flung from his back and blacked out.

* * *

Several screams from the beach were all that Dustin needed before rushing torwards the scence. Pushing through the crowd, he made his way down the crowded street, hoping that he would be able to help when he got to the scene. What greeted him when he finally arrived at the beach was a bit different from what he had in mind, however._"What the hell?"_

The only way to descrive the view of the beach was with one word: Pandamonium. Tourists were fleeing in all directions, and he saw the reason why. An oddly coloured Gyarados was coming torwards the area at an absolutely monstrous speed, and it was being tailed by two Tentacruel and a Wailord. Straining his eyes, he noted that there seemed to be a girl on the back of the monsterous dragon.

Dustin gasped when the large pokemon hit the beach and the girl was sent careening through the air.

Moving so fast that it surprised even himself, Dustin ran and leapt torwards the figure of the falling girl and caught her, sending them both sprawling into the sand.

Coincidences can be a bitch, huh?

He cracked his eyes open and looked down at the girl in his arms.

She couldn't be older than 16. Wavy, black hair framed a pale face, and was also pulled back in a ponytail with a faded blue bandanna. The girl seemed to be maybe a head shorter than he, but what made him do a double-take was the locket that was secured around her neck. The word "treasured" stared back at him.

"M-Madison?!**  
**

* * *

Splashy let an enraged roar echo into the air before it angrily turned to the three pokemon. Oh yeah, he was majorly pissed now. 

Hurting him was one thing, but if you hurt his trainer, he's going to send you to hell with no return address.

A gust of wind blew by, and steadily grew bigger, before it engulfed the three large water pokemon that were chasing it. Those remaining on the beach watched the attack in awe, this was the Dragon attack, Twister.

Now knowing that the three nusciances were unable to move, Splashy roared once more and a Thunderbolt struck all three of it's opponents, knocking them out simultaniously.

It nodded to itself with pride, that would show them. His pride was short-lived, however, because the last three sleepless nights had finally caught up with him. Knowing that he and Madison were now out of danger, the large pokemon fell over in a dead faint.

* * *

He watched the Gyarados as it dealt with the three others. Then he realized that if he was holding Madison, and the dragon belonged to her, then that would mean.. 

_"...Damn, Splashy's gotten big since I last saw him."_

Dustin's musings were short lived though, as he noticed Splashy waver before beggining to fall over.

"ack! Where's his ball, where's his ball?!" He checked Madison's pockets for splashy's ball before finding it still firmly clutched in her left hand. He plucked it from her grasp and returned the huge water pokemon to it's confines before it had flattened the people who were still on the beach.

Now that all the pandemonium was done and over with, he was able to take a better look at his best friend, and immediately felt himself frown. Her skin was a little pale, dark bags were visible under her eyes, her breathing was laboured and she was covered in sweat. He put one hand to her forehead and gasped.

He had to get her to a doctor, and fast.


End file.
